Niacin as a Biostimulant in Carrot Production in a Minimum Soil Tillage System in Brazil

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Departament of Agronomy, Mato Grosso do Sul State University, Cassilândia, Brazil

2 Departament of Agronomy, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Chapadão do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

Conservation practices and biostimulants have helped to increase the production and quality of horticultural products in regions with periods of limited water supply. With a focus on the Brazilian CenterWest, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of cover crops for establishing direct carrot planting while exploring the effects of applying nicotinamide as a biostimulant on the crop. The treatments consisted of niacin application and different soil cover managements: control (manual weeding); straw from spontaneous plants, millet, sunn hemp, and a combination of millet and sunn hemp (mix). The presence of cover crops from the cultivated species, millet and sunn hemp, alone or together, provided gains in relation to the development, productivity and quality of carrots, as well as resulting in average economic gains of up to 259%. Also, the application of niacin increased growth parameters and productivity by 82%, which increased gross revenue by around 50%. Thus, niacin can be used in carrot cultivation as a biostimulant while aiming to increase root development and obtain greater margins of economic return, regardless of management with cover crops. However, the joint use of niacin and cover crops is recommended, taking into account possible phytosanitary implications due to the presence of spontaneous plants.

Keywords

International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology
Volume 12, Issue 2
April 2025
Pages 465-478

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 January 2024
  • Revise Date: 03 June 2024
  • Accept Date: 14 August 2024

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